About the Film

A Place Called Home / Mi Tierra, Mi Hogar documents the journey of one man, who has longed for a place to call ‘home’, as he revisits his past memories and childhood hangout spots in Cuba after 15 years in the United States.

About The Project

In January 2014, Brent Foster and Preston Kanak headed to Havana, Cuba to produce a short film about one man’s journey to find a place to call home. Their goal was to capture the essence of Cuba and create a portrait of the culture and people of Cuba.

Preston states that, “what drives us to create and to tell stories is our desire to express ourselves in a visual medium. We make art that makes us happy and hopefully in turn motivates others to go out and explore. There is no better feeling than sharing a laugh or a story with a stranger and meeting new people on these journeys“.

Behind the Scenes

I’ve always been fascinated with Cuba. Havana in particular. The old cars, amazing architecture, and incredible light… It’s a photographer and cinematographers dream.

The story of ‘home’ is one I’ve been wanting to tell for awhile. I had previously shot a project dealing with the idea of ‘home’ but wasn’t happy with it so never released it. When Brent, mentioned that he wanted to check out Cuba, I was extremely excited and thought that this may be a good opportunity to revisit this concept.

Our Approach

Our approach for the project was very observational. We didn’t come in with a set shot list of storyline but knew our general focus for the project. It was great as we were able to have film at a very nice pace and just capture things as they happened. We took a hybrid approach as we made sure to look at the trip as a vacation and a time to recharge.

When approaching the story, we wanted to make sure it was as authentic as possible. We took everything we had heard and observed about the culture and crafted a story around that. We then partnered with Beau Stephenson who then took our script and translated it into spanish with the help of others more closely linked to the culture.

What’s In The Bag

Packing for trips is extremely challenging and takes years of experience to perfect. I am continually learning with every trip I take and always trying to make the process easier. In the video above, I walk through the kit that I took with me to Cuba to shoot the film, A Place to Call Home. If you would like to find out more, make sure to click below.

The Team

Brent Foster

Preston Kanak

A focus on visual storytelling through a collaborative filmmaking experience.

Beau Stephenson

Translation & Voice Over

Experience with international, national, and locally syndicated radio, film, and television spots.

Home isn’t just a place. Home is a way of thinking and is directly linked to one’s psyche.

- Preston Kanak (Saskatchewan, Canada) -

The Teaser

Music is heavily immersed in the Cuban culture. The music of Cuba, including the instruments and the dances, is mostly of European and African origin. Most forms of the present day are creolized fusions and mixtures of these two great sources. Almost nothing remains of the original Native traditions.

While in Cuba, we hired a local band to play in the streets for us to try and blend the landscape and music.